Wrench.



No. 806,701. I PATENTED DEC. 5,1905.

'1'. MOMASTBR.

PATENT OFFIOE.

THEODORE MCMASTER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

WRENCH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 5, 1905.

Applicationled March 16, 1905. Serial No. 250,329.

To all whom, it may con/cern:

Be it known that I, THEODORE MoMAsTER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the borough of Brooklyn, of the city of New York, State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Wrenches, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof.

The object of this invention is to provide a wrench in which the jaws can be quickly and easily adjusted to the desired position, where they will remain without any variation. In the common monkey-Wrench one of the jaws is generally provided with a threaded shank portion through which this jaw is screwed toward or from the other jaw, thus bringing the aws into the desired relative positions. It is desirable to eliminate, if possible, the screw adjustment in wrenches of this sort, inasmuch as this method of adjustment is slow and as the jaws in such wrenches when set do not remain absolutely intheir fixed position.

In the drawings where a monkey-wrench embodying the invention is illustrated, Figure 1 is aview in side elevation of the wrench, and Fig. 2 is a view in elevation looking from the right in Fig. 1.

The stationary jaw may have, as usual, a shank portion a, upon which a handle t may be secured, while the head c of the stationary jaw is preferably cut away to permit the shank d of the movable jaw to extend therethrough. The lower end of the shank of the movable jaw preferably embraces, by means of a slotted extension e, the shank of the stationary jaw, which is formed with a stop atf to prevent the travel of the extension@ beyond this point. The head g of the movable jaw caps the wrench and being extensible beyond the head c, which is always between the head g and its shank a, obviously gives the wrench a greater leverage for large nuts-that is, when the jaws are widely separated-than for small nuts, which only require a short extension of the movable jaw.

In order to provide for a quick adjustment of the jaws to the desired opening and to insure an invariableness of osition when the jaws have been set, one of the jaws, preferably the movable jaw, is provided with a ratchet h, which coperates with the corresponding ratchet 'i on a lever c, pivoted to the other j aw-that is, the stationary jawat Z. The ratchet-teeth on the lever and on the movable jaw are such as to absolutely prevent the movable jaw from being extended while the ratchets engage each other, but to freely permit the movable jaw to be moved in a direction to close the aws. The lower end of the lever 7c preferably embraces the shank of the stationary jaw below the extension-piece e and presents a presser-piece m near the handle for the thumb. By this means the lever k may be pressed backward againstthe action of a spring n, which normally holds it yieldingly in its forward position, and thus brings the ratchet on'the lever into engagement with the ratchet on the movable jaw.

When the wrench is in use, the movable j aw is readily extended by the pressure of the thumb upon the presser-piece m, the wrench being held with its head downward and the jaw dropping by gravity as soon as it is released by the disengagement of the ratchets. When the movable jaw has been extended, the pressure of the thumb on the presserpiece mis released and the ratchets again engage with each other. The movable aw may, notwithstanding the engagement of the ratchets, be moved backward upon the stationary aw, thereby bringing the two aws together upon a nut or other object upon whichit is desired that the aws shall close, or the movable jaw may be moved back until the opening between the jaws is of the desired extent. It will be obvious thatwhen the jaws close upon a nut or other object the position of the movable jaw remains fixed, and said jaw is absolutely inextensible so long as the ratchets engage each other.

I claim as my invention- 1. In a wrench, the combination of a stationary jaw having a head and a shank, a movable jaw extending through the head and embracing the shank of the stationary jaw, a ratchet on the movable jaw, and a lever secured to the stationary jaw and having a ratchet, said lever resting normally with the teeth of its ratchet engaging the teeth of the ratchet on the jaw.

2. In a wrench, the combination of a stationary jaw having a head and a shank, a movable jaw having a head and a shank, the

IOO

'shank of the movable jaw embracing the spring' to hold the ratchet on the lexei2 shank of the stationary jaw and extending against the ratchet on the movable' jaw. 1o through the head of the stationary jaw, and This specification signed and witnessed the head of the stationary jaW resting' be# this 11th day of March, A. D.- 1905.

5 tween its shank and the head of the movable T HEODORE MCMASTER. jaw, a ratchet on the shank of the movable Wltnesses: jaW, a lever pivoted to the headvo1 the sta- MAX ERDTMANN,

tonary jaw andhaving a ratchet, and a C. PORTER FISHER. 

